The Motley Fool·2026-03-21 09:41Core Viewpoint - SpaceX is expected to go public later this year with a market cap between $1.5 trillion and $1.75 trillion, potentially making it one of the top 10 most valuable companies globally [1] Group 1: SpaceX IPO and Market Context - Investors may face challenges when buying SpaceX stock due to high starting market cap and previous gains by private shareholders [2] - SpaceX's recent merger with xAI could complicate direct exposure to the space economy for investors [3] Group 2: Alternative Investment Opportunities - Rocket Lab is a direct competitor to SpaceX, focusing on launching smaller payloads and has seen significant revenue growth, reaching $602 million in 2025 from $62.2 million in 2021 [5][8] - Rocket Lab is developing a larger rocket, Neutron, expected to debut in 2026, and is also building its own satellite constellation [9] - Planet Labs focuses on Earth observation through satellite imaging, securing contracts with major clients like NASA and the U.S. Navy, with revenue growing 33% year over year to $81 million [10][12][13] - Planet Labs has a backlog of $734 million, up 216% year over year, indicating strong future revenue growth [14] Group 3: Valuation Comparisons - SpaceX's potential price-to-sales ratio could be around 100 at IPO, while Rocket Lab and Planet Labs have lower ratios of 61 and 26.5, respectively [15] - The market caps of Rocket Lab and Planet Labs are significantly lower than SpaceX, providing more upside potential for investors [16]